im always fascinated by dani's lives unlived, if you can call them that, in the sense that she's always talking about how if she had no knowledge of the true nature of her world, she'd act just like the rest of the girls around the boys (and thus, she implies, have no discernible impact in the lives of byr and the 4hk) or how it's her absence after middle school that makes haegarim such a sad little story, even after her role is replaced by choi yuri (a pale imitation, but you know, the principle of the matter is that her absence should not technically matter).
while i do think the freedom of not knowing the world she inhabits is fictional would make her act significantly more relaxed about some things, her nature is such that other social constraints would invariably hold her back. ban yeoryung's beauty and brains, the kids' wealth and social status, her own inability to measure up to her parents and society's exorbitant standards--these are all things that would continue to bother her and separate her from them, and in the first two cases, she wouldn't even have an explanation for why these things are the way they are. in the real world, beauty and wealth are "luck of the draw" (in the sense that you are born randomly to whatever circumstances your family is in) but in inso, there's a compelling order to the world which is understandable. these people are like this because they are fulfilling these roles. you can find it unfair, but you get it. there is no sense in injustice in the real world.
and then i also think that even if she acted just like those girls, in the sense that she'd maybe allow herself to fan over the boys or resent yeoryung a little, her direct action would still have irreversible impact on the story. i just think there is simply no way dani can exist within the story and not change these people's lives in some way. her presence is a springboard from which these characters define themselves, which is why she's so crucially the protagonist (while not being the heroine). it's so hard to explain this without spoilers but, like, her not being there derails their lives as we know them entirely, and when she is there--well, there you see the story morphing under her hands. that's what we're reading.
and so i find all those universes in which she exists differently so fascinating because it pushes at the questions raised within the text and left unresolved, or tied up and set aside. what if she met jiho when they were both adults? would she change his life then as well or would he be too far gone, as he feared? are we capable of true meaningful change at any time or do we have to take advantage of these precious windows of opportunity lest we lose them forever? and if we are, what do we need to kickstart that change? is she enough? (she is always enough)
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